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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. kid — child
  5. pop — music
  6. firm — steady
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. tear — from crying
  11. tear — to rip
  12. firm — a company
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. firm — decided
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. capital — money
  18. pit — a hole
  19. capital — a city
  20. pop — soda
  21. kid — to tease
  22. pit — in a race
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. tear — from crying

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com